Socratic dialogue for young entrepreneurs - A Conversation with Michael Strong

Too often simplistic arguments against educational change are
that providing more opportunities for increased agency for young
people (following their own questions, inquiries, cares etc)
means less rigour, depth and intellectual stretch. Anyone who has
been involved in these approaches in sustained ways knows that
this isn’t the case. However, the myth persists. This week it is
my great pleasure to be in conversation with Michael Strong who
has had an extensive career in many different educational systems
and approaches, but with a fascinating mix of classical practices
such as Socratic Dialogue and entrepreneurial skills.


Michael Strong is one of the most experienced innovative school
program designers in the U.S. He is the Founder/CEO of Socratic
Experience (an online academy blending Classical and
entrepreneurial education), Flourishing Adolescent Cultures
Initiative at the University of Austin, and the Academy of
Thought and Industry (ATI), a network of Montessori-aligned high
schools with campuses in Austin, San Francisco, New York City,
and St. Louis. His projects include Montessori secondary school
program design for Montessori schools in San Antonio, Palo Alto,
and Pleasanton, California prior to launching ATI. He also
created The Winston Academy, where middle school students passed
AP exams, and Moreno Valley High School, a Paideia charter high
school in Angel Fire, New Mexico, ranked the 36th best public
high school in the U.S. by Newsweek in its 3rd year of operation
and continued to outperform other New Mexico high schools. 


He is the author of The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars
to Socratic Practice and lead author of Be the Solution: How
Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s
Problems. He introduced the expression “Startup Cities” in a 2013
Voice & Exit talk which has led to a vibrant “Startup
Societies” movement around the world. He is also a co-founder of
FLOW, Peace through Commerce, Conscious Capitalism, and Radical
Social Entrepreneurs. He serves on the boards of Radical Social
Entrepreneurs and Social Evolution. He is the only “Michael
Strong” married to the powerful and beautiful Senegalese
entrepreneur Magatte Wade.


Michael writes and can be found in the following places,


Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelstrong 


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.strong.144/ 


X: @flowidealism - https://x.com/flowidealism 


LinkedIn: @michaelstrong1 -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstrong1/